


Fates / Weave their threads

by PennamePersona



Series: below the skin [3]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: ADHD Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Mortician Thanatos, Only for part of the fic it's not a whole chat fic, being just very soft and in love with someone you've been wanting for years and years, everyone but than and zag is only in the brief groupchat section, mix of humor and romance, this fic dedicated in part to the laughter during the fade to black in the Than romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennamePersona/pseuds/PennamePersona
Summary: Than pulls out a drawer of the filing cabinet and flips through the folders with the same care and precision he does everything. It’d be unfair how elegant Thanatos can look doing even mundane things if Zagreus didn’t take such delight in appreciating him.Zagreus raises his phone, hesitating for just a moment, then barrelling on ahead. “You always look so pretty, you know that? Even just flipping through folders.”Thanatos jerks in surprise and smacks his head on the filing cabinet. Zagreus and his phone camera both get a perfect view of his shocked and flustered expression.-Thanatos takes Zagreus to work, there's a casual House groupchat, & Than and Zag take an opportunity to be softly in love and make out.
Relationships: Hypnos & Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: below the skin [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163000
Comments: 12
Kudos: 60





	Fates / Weave their threads

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fatedfeathers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatedfeathers/gifts).



> This is dedicated to fatedfeathers because today is the 6 year anniversary of the first time he left a comment on one of my works! that's literally so long!! It's meant a lot to have someone so invested in my writing, you've always been one of my favorite commenters, and I'm super stoked that we're both into hades !!
> 
> Title from the beginning lines of In The Blood  
> (holy fuck y'all, this game's soundtrack is so Fuuuucking good)

“Zag?”

Zagreus looks up from where he’s laying horizontal across one of the lounge armchairs. In his surprise, he forgets that the hacky sack he was tossing up and catching is still in mid-air, and it lands on his forehead.

“Oh, oof. What’s up, Than? I thought you had to go out for work today.” Zagreus says. He can’t help the goofy smile on his face. Seeing Thanatos has always been nice, but now it causes a flutter inside him, like the butterflies from the day in the garden have taken up residence in his chest.

“I do,” Thanatos says. He glances away, and Zag can see him bite his lip, a nervous habit since they were children. “I thought...I know I offered a while ago to bring you with me, if there was a day I’d be alone in the building.”

Zagreus sits up fully and grins. “I’d love to come! I’ve never seen you use your Mark for work before, I bet it’s really cool.” 

Thanatos gives him a small smile in return. Zagreus can see the tilt of fondness in it, and the butterflies flurry up a storm. “Well, hurry up and get ready then. I’m not going to be late because of you.”

Zagreus gets up and hurries to his room, skipping every other stair on his way. He throws on a tank top and grabs a hoodie, just in case. He remembers Than mentioning that the temperature in the crematorium and the morgue can vary pretty dramatically, and he doesn’t want to bother his boyfriend (!!!) by needing to go back home and get more appropriate clothes. He’d just muscle through it, but he knows if Than noticed he was shivering or too warm, he’d get all fussy about it. He knows Thanatos would get flustered if he pointed it out, too, which is almost tempting enough to let it happen.

He pats his pockets to make sure he has his phone, and after a moment’s consideration, puts on one of his stim necklaces to fidget with. He doesn’t want to bring the hacky sack or any of his other fidgets and end up forgetting them at Than’s work. He also examines his forearm to make sure Nyx’s temporary Ward is still Marked into his skin clearly enough. The dark blue sigil looks pretty good to him, no lines faded out, and Than’s presence will be more than enough to keep it powered while they’re out of the House’s Wards. 

He skips stairs on the way back down too, and almost runs into Thanatos where he’s waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, hey! I’m ready to go.” 

Than has that fond little smile for him again, and Zagreus can barely keep from leaning up to kiss his cheek. He knows Than isn’t wild about PDA, so he holds back, but Than’s just... _wow_. Truly, he should be commended for the effort it takes.

“Let’s get going, then.”

* * *

  
  


Thanatos’s workplace isn’t quite as depressing as Zagreus would’ve guessed. He’s spending most of his time at the crematorium today, which honestly looks more like a workshop with a big metal box in the middle than a place with dead bodies in storage. He hops up on a stool next to a counter, in hopes that he’ll be out of Than’s way.

“It’ll be a little while before I get to the interesting part.” Than says. “First there’s some paperwork I need to get in order.”

Zagreus chuckles a little, though he knew already that there was more paperwork involved with this sort of work than one might expect. He used to have to file some of it, before his father banned him from the admin rooms. He can’t pretend he misses it.

Than pulls out a drawer of the filing cabinet and flips through the folders with the same care and precision he does everything. Zagreus can’t help but find him beautiful in this moment, watching his deft fingers skip over the tops of files like he’s playing an instrument. The angle gives Zag a glimpse of his Mark, the scythe faded into a soft lilac. It’d be unfair how elegant Thanatos can look doing even mundane things if Zagreus didn’t take such delight in appreciating him. Especially now that they’re together, and he’s properly allowed to.

Zagreus raises his phone, hesitating for just a moment, then barrelling on ahead. “You always look so pretty, you know that? Even just flipping through folders.”

Thanatos jerks in surprise and smacks his head on the filing cabinet. Zagreus and his phone camera both get a perfect view of his shocked and flustered expression. Than looks over at him and sees his phone out, and Zagreus can’t miss the slight disappointment that flickers across his face.

“Just teasing me for a photo opportunity, then?” Thanatos says. His mouth flattens out a bit more than usual.

“No, no!” Zagreus says hurriedly. “I meant it! I just wanted to get your reaction so I could look back at it. I don’t have the best visual memory, and I don’t have nearly enough pictures of you. I really do think you’re pretty, like, all the time.”

Than swallows, and a sweet little smile finds its way on his lips. “Oh. Well, um. That’s alright, then. Were you planning on sharing the picture?”

Zagreus smiles back at him in unrestrained delight. “I thought I might share it in the groupchat. Not the House one, just the more casual one, if that’s alright. Also, is your head okay? I didn’t mean to make you hurt yourself.”

Thanatos makes a sound that Zagreus would call a snort if he didn’t value his life. “I’m fine, thank you. And go ahead. It’s not as though I have too much more dignity to lose in front of them. It should give you something to entertain yourself with while I’m doing the ‘boring’ work, too.”

Zagreus chuckles and hits upload on his phone, the picture already queued up. 

  
  


**petition for softer hall carpets**

_uploaded “tfw u call ur bf pretty.jpg”_

**sleepy bitch disease**

get rekt lol

**dust bunny hate blog <3**

oh!! is he okay!!

**petition for softer hall carpets**

he’s fine, just a lil embarrassed

  
**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** What did you do to get him to make that face

  
**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** i called him pretty :)  
  
****

**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** that explains why he looks so constipated  
  
****

**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** he does Not look constipated!  
he looks charming and beautiful like he always does!!

**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** You’re going to turn him soft, Zag.  
At least leave him his dignity.  
  
****

**dust bunny hate blog <3** **  
** aw, well I think it’s sweet! especially since he didn’t get hurt  
  


**sleepy bitch disease**

BREAKING NEWS: Dusa is the only valid bitch here  
  
****

**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** We been knew, Hypnos. ****

**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** meg uses improper grammar for humor Real not clickbait?? :o

**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** I have no moral qualms with maiming you.  
Just as reminder, in case you’ve forgotten since the last time I mentioned that.  
Twenty minutes ago.  
  
****

**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** haha nice try i grew up with than

ur gonna have 2 try harder 2 threaten me **  
** when we were 6 he used to say hed smother me in my sleep lmao  
  
****

**dust bunny hate blog <3** **  
** he said that when you were six????  
  
****

**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** mom always encouraged us 2 be creative children :)  
  
****

**hhrrrnngghh……….** **  
** _reacted to “mom always encourag…” with :thumbs_up:_

 _reacted to “tfw u call ur bf pretty.jpg” with :purple_heart:_ _  
_ _  
_ ****

**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** thank you so much for your support charon  
it means the world

**dust bunny hate blog <3** **  
** where are you guys, anyway??  
is that the morgue where thanatos works?

**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** yep!  
he’s gonna show me how he uses his Mark to be a cool grim reaper :)

  
**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** Is that safe

  
**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** wdym?

  
**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** I mean that you’ve been forcefully sent back to the House eleven times this week because the Wards won’t accept you leaving.

  
**sleepy bitch disease**

13 actually  
bakers dozen of failed escape attempts by our fave amateur ward breaker <3

  
**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** okay first of all, ily hypnos but don’t @ me  
second yeah it’s totally safe  
my temp Mark from nyx is still solid and than’s like a mobile charger for it

  
**Acherontia styx**

I know I’ve told you not to call me that, Zag.

**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** !! <3 !!!  
than :)

  
**whip first, ask questions later** **  
** Aren’t you standing right next to each other

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** Yes.  
But I knew this would be the most effective way to get his attention.

**petition for softer hall carpets** **  
** you are a very wise and pretty man

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** Just look up, would you?

  
  


Zagreus looks up. Thanatos is giving him an exasperated but still fond look that he’s incredibly familiar with.  
  
“Sweet of you to defend my honor,” Thanatos says. He’s smiling with a gentle look in his eyes that makes Zagreus want to kiss him _so badly_. “Now, would you like to see what we actually came here for?”

“Can I kiss you first?” Zagreus blurts out. “I mean - I know that you aren’t always comfortable with touch or physical affection, which is fine! And I don’t want you to feel pressured at all now that we’re...whatever we are. It’s just that sometimes you get this look in your eyes that makes me want to kiss you, or you smile and I want to kiss your cheek? You’re just very appealing.”

  
  


Than chuckles, and though Zagreus knows he’s being laughed at, it still warms him inside. The butterflies just can’t seem to settle around Than. “In regards to what we are, I believe you called me your boyfriend just now.”

Zagreus’s eyes get wide. He didn’t consciously realize that one, actually.

“Oh, don’t give me that look.” Thanatos pushes a hand through Zagreus’s hair, gently tousling it. “It’s a perfectly good descriptor as far as I’m concerned. And as for kissing, well...I certainly enjoy it. I know you’re careful about my boundaries, and I trust you. So long as we’re together like this, feel free to kiss me. I’ll let you know if I’m not up for it. Though, I’d prefer not to get too physical in public, or this near a corpse, for that matter.”

Zagreus laughs, mostly at himself. “That’s a very fair point.” He gives Than a soft look. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Thanatos ruffles his hair one last time before pulling away. “You make it easy.”

He moves over to the steel table then, and Zagreus follows. There is indeed a body laying on it. Having grown up in what most people outside the Wards believe is a funeral home, he’s seen plenty of dead bodies and isn’t particularly phased by them. He doesn’t look too closely at the body, more out of respect than squeamishness. It doesn’t seem like his place to stare at what would have been a vulnerable position, when there was still a conscious spark within.

Thanatos waves a hand over the body, seeming to almost pluck at points in the air that look completely random to Zagreus. His brow is furrowed in concentration, and he blinks slowly. After a little while, Zagreus can see Than’s scythe glow lilac, and then Than’s fingers aren’t plucking randomly, but tugging lightly at a strand of glowing purple thread. The thread looks attached to the body, and though Thanatos seems to be holding it near the end, Zagreus can’t actually see a clear endpoint. He doesn’t look too closely, especially because Than is tilting his right wrist and his Mark is glowing more intensely. A pair of shears made entirely of glowing purple light appear in his hand, and without hesitating, he cuts the thread.

It dissipates as soon as the blades close. Than tilts his wrist back the other direction, and the shears vanish just as quickly as they’d appeared. The glow on his Mark fades, and it’s as though Zagreus can feel something leave the room. He glances back down at the body, trying to see if he can tell something is missing, but he can’t quite place it.

“I’m glad that was a restful spirit,” Thanatos says. He’s quiet and calm, sounding perfectly at ease. “I didn’t want to have to wrangle a difficult spirit with you here, though I’m sure you would’ve found it suitably entertaining.”

Zagreus doesn’t say anything right away, still entranced by what he saw. His lips are slightly parted. He’s...he knew, of course, that Thanatos was powerful and that his work was delicate. Seeing it like this, though, is so much more...it’s just so much _more_.

“That was incredible,” He finally breathes out. “Thank you for showing me.”

Thanatos smiles at him again, wide and gentle. He looks at peace, which is rare for him. Zagreus has his own insecurities regarding the whole Mark thing, but he can’t possibly be truly jealous of Than for having one. It’s so clear that this is Than’s purpose and that it completes him, brings him stability in a way that Zagreus could never wish away.

“Of course.” Than says. “I’m glad you enjoyed seeing it.”

Zagreus steps closer to him. He can’t help being drawn to Thanatos just in general, but now, in this moment? He doesn’t know that the most vicious of his father’s Wards could keep him back. “Do you have more work to do?”

Thanatos gives him a considering look and thinks on it for a moment. “Nothing that can’t wait.”

Zag wraps an arm around him and leans his head on Than’s chest. “I don’t suppose you’d consider taking us somewhere else, then? Maybe someplace more appropriate for kissing?”

Than chuckles and puts his arms around Zagreus. “I could be convinced, yes.”

Feeling Zagreus hum and smile against his chest seems to be all the convincing Than needs, because they’re teleporting away only a few seconds later. They appear just outside of Zagreus’s room, and he wastes no time pulling Than inside and closing the door behind them.

* * *

Thanatos expects to feel nervous as Zagreus leads him to the bed, but he finds only calm certainty and pleasant anticipation where anxiety usually lives. Zagreus makes to lay down on the unmade bed, but Than puts an arm out in front of him.

“Absolutely not.” He says. “I am not kissing you with half your duvet bunched up beneath us.”

“Oh!” Zagreus smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck. “Right, yeah, totally. I’ll just straighten up a bit, if you don’t mind waiting.”

Thanatos watches him tug up the blanket and then pause, realize that the lumps beneath it are clothes he needs to move, recognize that Than isn’t going to let him get away with just tossing them on the floor, and resign himself to folding shirts before he can kiss his boyfriend. What a mess. Thanatos is completely in love with him. Probably too early to say that, though, and so instead he’ll just watch Zagreus with a level of adoration that used to frighten him, but is beginning to feel at home where it sits in his chest.

“Thanks again for showing me that,” Zagreus says. He glances over his shoulder to give Thanatos a soft, sweet smile. “It was absolutely amazing to see.”

Thanatos huffs out a breath, embarrassed. “It isn’t anything special.”

Zagreus pauses in his folding to fix Thanatos with a look. “Yes it is, and I know you know that. You’re literally the only person capable of doing what you do, that’s special! And it’s...beautiful. The way you concentrate, how your fingers move...it’s like you’re playing an instrument.”

Thanatos has no idea what to say to that. Instead of trying to figure it out, he just walks over to Zagreus and holds him from behind, presses a soft kiss to his neck. He can feel the heat of Zagreus’s blush beneath his lips, and doesn’t try to hold back a smile.

Zagreus makes a happy sound. “I’ve got complicated feelings about Marks, which I know we’ve talked about a bit. Today was nice for that. It really helped to see you work. Like, even though I feel sort of incomplete, I wouldn’t be able to do what you do even if I had a Mark. For the first time, I felt okay with that.”

Thanatos hums. His fingers trace patterns against Zagreus’s stomach. “I’m glad watching me brought you some measure of peace. I know I’ve said it before, but truly Zag, you aren’t incomplete because you lack a Mark. You aren’t lesser. Besides, having a Mark doesn’t guarantee any kind of useful power. You can look at Hypnos to see that.”

Zagreus pulls out of the circle of his arms with his stack of shirts.Thanatos magnanimously ignores the absolute mess revealed when Zagreus opens his drawers. He can nag about that later, after his mind is pleasantly aglow with the aftermath of Zagreus’s lips against his.

“Don’t discount Hypnos,” Zag says, not for the first time. “I know he hasn’t presented the same kind of power as you or Charon, but he’s still Nyx’s son. And his Mark looks almost exactly like the eye of Chaos, just closed. I’ve had to deal with a lot of Wards and sigils lately, and I know repeating patterns mean something.”

Thanatos sighs. Zagreus may well be right, and if not about this, certainly in the pointed lecture he gave Than the other day about making more of an effort with his twin. “Very well. I will do my best not to dismiss the possibility that Hypnos is more than he appears.”

Zagreus snorts as he forces the drawer closed. Thanatos credits himself for not wincing. “Of course he is. All of you are.”

Thanatos isn’t sure if Zagreus is referring to Nyx’s children or people with Marks when he says that. That line of thought is easily set aside as Zagreus kicks off his shoes and bounces onto his bed, holding his arms out and making grabby hands. “Now c’mon, I wanna make out with you.”

“I wasn’t the one who brought the topic of my brother to your bedroom.” Thanatos replies. He toes off his, then sits down. The duvet is plush and comfortable beneath him, though he suspects he will soon be feeling the heat of Zagreus’s body much more than the texture of the blanket. He catches one of Zagreus’s hands in his and pulls him closer, runs his free hand through Zag’s messy hair.

“You’re a mess, you know that?” Thanatos says. Zagreus chuckles. It’s a beautiful sound. “An absolute mess. You have no right to be as gorgeous as you are.”

Zag’s chuckles turn into a soft noise, almost pained, that’s quickly silenced beneath Than’s lips. Zagreus winds his arms around Thanatos’s chest and pulls him down, so very gently, until he’s laying on top of Zag. 

It’s absurd how completely Zagreus has lodged himself in the center of Than’s concept of beauty. He can’t see how he’s expected to help it, though, when he’s presented views like this. Zag’s choppy black hair is strewn in contrast against the bright red of his pillowcase, his eyes mismatched in color but symmetrical in blown wide pupils and a clear shimmer of what cannot be anything other than love. He traces fingers gently down the line of Zagreus’s face, breath halting when Zagreus catches his hand and places sweet kisses against his fingertips.

“Oh,” Zagreus says, brow crinkling in distress Thanatos cannot bear to see in this trapped moment. “Your fingers, I don’t remember these scars. Are you alright? What happened?”

Well, Than certainly can’t hold that sort of distress against him. He knows he’d be distracted by any similar mark of harm on Zagreus. “They’re just Ward scars. They don’t hurt anymore, it’s fine.”

“Anymore?” Zagreus pushes himself to sit up a bit, forcing Thanatos to commit to straddling his lap in order to stay close. It’s more than a little distracting, but he tries to focus on what Zag is saying. “Then they hurt when you got them? Are they from helping me?”

Thanatos sighs, though he’s more than used to Zagreus’s tendency to skip so quickly from thought to thought. Sometimes it’s impossible for Than to follow the winding, leaping trails of his mind, though he does his best. At least this time it’s straightforward. 

“No, they aren’t from helping you. At least, not for the most part.” Thanatos reaches up to play with Zagereus’s hair, both for something to help keep him grounded and to avoid direct eye contact. He knows Zagreus will understand, and judging by the pleased sounds he’s making, he hardly minds. “Any magic leaves its mark after a while. I’m sure you’ve felt it when you’ve come back from being in the Rings, especially after touching a Ward directly. I regularly go through the Rings when I have spirits to direct, and especially if they were completely untouched by magic in life, I have to be more up close and personal.”

“I thought you teleported through the Wards, though?” Zagreus asks. 

Thanatos is struck once more by how much Zagreus just doesn’t know about the world he is a part of. He doesn’t judge, knows that it’s primarily because Hades didn’t want Zagreus knowing too much for fear that he’d try to find a loophole that would end up harming him. He doesn’t tend to speak ill of Hades, who is essentially his boss, but he truly doesn’t understand how the man thought he could reign his son in. Zagreus was always going to try and expand his world. Thanatos accepts that, even if he had trouble at first. Information can only help keep him from harm.

“I do,” Than says. He leans down and kisses the top of Zagreus’s head, unable and unwilling to reign in these urges for casual affection. “But I’m still passing through the Wards, even if it’s not physically. The scars come up through the skin later. It’s really not all that painful, just a bit of a sting. They might ache if they’re particularly deep or if I accumulate a lot in a short period, but it’s nothing unmanageable.”

“Huh,” Zagreus says. He traces circles on Than’s back, likely unconsciously. “So they come through kind of like Hypnos’s Mark?”

“Exactly like that.” Thanatos replies. He starts braiding a small part of Zagreus’s unruly hair, which should look silly but will probably end up being charming. Such is the improbable nature of Zagreus. “The only people who can go through the Wards completely untouched are mother and Charon, and as far as I’m aware, the only other people who can pass through with as little consequence as me are your father and Hermes.”

Zagreus stops his soft circling at that and makes a surprised sound. “Wait, Hermes like my cousin Hermes?”

Thanatos sighs. He reaches the end of the braid and leans down to press their foreheads together. “Yes, Hermes like your cousin Hermes. Do you really want to keep talking about this right now? I was of the understanding that you were interested in something else entirely.”

“Oh!” Zagreus’s hands trail upwards until they tangle gently in Thanatos’s hair. He scratches lightly at the buzzed hair of Than’s undercut, which is getting due for a refresh. Thanatos sighs again, though this time it’s closer to a moan. “Yeah, sorry, I totally got off track. I don’t know how I managed, with you in my lap like this..”

Thanatos buries his face in Zagreus’s neck and can’t help a huff of laughter. “I’d blame it on the ADHD, love. Or perhaps just your natural charm.”

Zagreus tugs lightly at his hair, which. Hm. Might be something. He brings his head up though, and allows Zagreus to kiss his cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids as they flutter closed.

“Love,” Zagreus whispers. It hovers soft, ephemeral in the air between them. It is not as heavy as Thanatos assumed it would be. “Oh, Than…”

And then he’s not talking anymore, lips too busy being sealed against Than’s. As much as Thanatos is genuinely charmed (sometimes despite himself) by Zagreus’s distractable, unpredictable nature, he is relieved to finally have this. Zag’s lips against his feel like the countdown of years to the moment in the garden. When his mouth opens up and Than traces the inside of his lips, he tastes like inevitability. 

Zagreus leans back down against his pillows, one hand still tangled up in Than’s hair. The other traces a line down his side and lands on his hip. Zag’s grip is warm and unassuming. Thanatos would not mind if it assumed its way beneath his shirt, though he knows he’ll have to tell Zagreus explicitly in order for it to happen. He can’t bring himself to mind at all, heart swelling with impossibly more affection for this person beneath him.

He breaks the kiss only to trail more of them down Zagreus’s throat, pulling a whine out of Zag that’s half-petulant and half-desperate. The sound vibrates beneath his mouth and makes something inside of Thanatos wind itself tight and hot. It’s incredibly arousing, and it’s also so completely _Zagreus_ that he can’t help the light laugh he breathes into the hollow of Zag’s throat.

He doesn’t need to worry about sending a mixed signal, because Zagreus follows his laughter just as easily as he followed the slick warmth of Than’s tongue when it was inside Zag’s mouth. Thanatos keeps kissing him, sucks a mark beneath his jaw, and Zagreus _moans_ and it’s _perfect_. 

Then Zagreus braces himself and flips them with a movement of his hips that Thanatos immediately makes a mental note of for another time. He grins down at Thanatos, lips red and shiny, hair impossibly messier, and damn it all, the little braid does look charming. 

Zag leans in to pepper small, quick kisses against Thanatos’s neck, and his unbridled enthusiasm makes Than laugh. It keeps up like that for a long while, kisses and laughter and wanting and _having_. 

It’s not perfect. Teeth click and noses bump and once, Zagreus accidentally jerks his knee straight into Thanatos’s groin, and Than’s reassurances are just as lost as Zag’s apologies in their laughter. 

It’s not perfect, this soft and wonderful fade to black. It’s not perfect. But after all this time - isn’t it?

* * *

**  
**  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** hey than  
i know i teased you in the chat and all

but you know im happy for you right?

**Acherontia styx**

Of course I do, Hypnos.

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** haha good  
that’s good  
i know youve been in love with zag for aaaaaages  
and im glad u guys figured it all out and u can finally be happy with him :)

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** Was it really that obvious?

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** to everyone else? i have no idea!  
to me? really mostly in retrospect  
but ya ive always known you cared about him  
and its obvious he cares about you  
also youre really cute together <3 gives the whole place a nice atmosphere

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** Well, thank you. I, um...appreciate your support.

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** oh haha stop i know showing feelings makes u all uncomfortable <3  
but ur welcome ofc  
i love you! i want you to be happy

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** I love you as well, Hypnos. Even if I don’t always show it clearly.  
Perhaps I can tell you more about how Zagreus and I “figured it out” over lunch tomorrow?

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
**!!! :D

**Acherontia styx** **  
** I take it that’s a yes?

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** ya!! <3  
ill try not to sleep in too late lol

  
**Acherontia styx** **  
** I look forward to it.

  
**sleepy bitch disease** **  
** :)  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Than's reaction to Zag's bed is based on me w/ my gf everytime we hang out in her room
> 
> Also, if you don't know, Acherontia styx is the scientific name for the Eastern Death's Head hawkmoth, which was so impossibly perfect for Than that i could Not resist
> 
> Comments & Kudos are absolutely radical! Comments are esp great if you're invested in this verse at all, they're an excellent motivator for me to continue in it :) 
> 
> I'd love any feedback y'all have! Esp as I leave the larger worldbuilding to brief details. I'm trying to walk the line of informative but realistic conversation and it's tough to know how it looks for a third party


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